After yesterday’s Nats-Cards game, a reporter asked Bryce Harper if he’s been “overanxious” in the playoffs. Harper didn’t much care for the question, and snipped back at him, asking “do I look overanxious? Maybe you should be the hitting coach.” The exchange is at the 45 second mark:

If about 98% of major league baseball players did this it would escape notice, but one of the more notable things about Harper in his rookie season is how his teenage brashness has taken a back seat to a p.r.-friendly polish which, I suspect, is the fine work of some Scott Boras and/or Washington Nationals-paid media handler types.

“Schooled” him? The reporter is in the Hall of Fame, and has dealt with his share of tough Hombres before. “You Should be the hitting coach” – as a beat repoter for the Cardinals, that would probably rank as the 1,197th harshest thing TLR said to him in the past 15 years

paperlions - Oct 9, 2012 at 3:39 PM

No reporters are in the hall of fame. Some reporters have been honored by their peers with an award, and the HOF is kind enough to display them in the museum.

bigtrav425 - Oct 9, 2012 at 10:30 AM

I love his attitude….or maybe its the fact I hate the media and don’t think athletes should be forced to do interviews

Give me a friggin’ break. Anyway, nobody is forced to do interviews. If he wants to take the Eddie Murray approach, he can always go that route. Or be like that hypocrite Sterling Sharpe. Like most celebrities, he likes attention and publicity, but he wants it on his terms. This is the kind of reaction you get from someone who has never had a real job in his life.

As a Phillies fan, I hate the idea of defending Bryce Harper, but this is nothing. He came into the league with a well-deserved reputation for being a punk (not the first teenager to display these symptoms), but he’s played hard and acted like an adult for the most part. Maybe Jimmy Rollins could learn a thing or two from Harper about hustling.

Actually, we have no idea of that reputation was deserved or not. He hasn’t done anything at the ML level to suggest that he is a punk or was a punk….you really think he suddenly flipped a switch? Punks can’t turn it off.

The coverage while he was in the minors reeks of biased sensationalized crap. Even the kissing episode was completely taken out of context, when it was Harper simply responding to a pitcher and team that were being punks to him. Yeah, he could have chosen not to respond….he was 18….most adults would have responded more than he did.

Where do you get that from? The reporter asked him a decent question, politely, and respectfully, because it’s his job.

Harper responded like exactly what he is. A petulant teenager, who rudely snapped at someone doing their job. Bet he’s great in a restaurant when a waiter gets his order wrong.

Due to the quick response of his (and he didn’t need to think about it), it’s sounds to me like the reporter nailed it. Someone has already told him he’s overanxious, and most likely it was the hitting coach.

In that case, it’s was a legitimate question, and if Harper is too good to be questioned about his plate discipline when its been noticed by others he’s going to be a joy for this crowd over the next 20 years.

Let’s be honest. You look at the young kids that came up this year and the big 3 names: Harper, Trout (technicially) and Machado. Who has the reputation for being pompous? Hands down Harper. And truth be told, if you asked me what the reputation is for the other 2 in regards to demeanor… I’d have no clue what to tell you. But that speaks volumes right there. Harper’s attitude problem was enough that it’s gone on notice since day one. You can’t say “he’s just a youngin” when Machado and Trout aren’t exhibiting similar behavior and in the same ballpark (pun intended) of Harper’s age. It’s just who he is and unfortunately for him, the scrutiny comes with the territory of being a productive player on a playoff team. If he played for the Marlins and hit .215 this year this wouldn’t be a discussion (sorry Gator!).

Personally, I don’t care. It’s not hurting his teammates, nor is it hurting his ability on the field (other than the time he busted his face up with his own bat). He sets high standards for himself, and if he starts to dip he gets angry at himself. If he wants to fix his image, he has plenty of years to do so, but right now it is what it is and as long as he keeps his focus on the game, he’ll be just fine.

This is all no big deal. He’s a kid who’s frustrated at not performing. Why do we make such drama about these things? Why did we ever act as if he had turned into some angel when he became a major leaguer? Craig is right. He made an obvious effort to kind of clean up his act. People act like the bad things that were reported about him when he was younger just never happened. Harper has said about himself that he is arrogant and that he needs to be that way to perform at his best. Let’s just let this kid grow up as time goes on and these types of “incidents” are going to slip through once in a while when he can’t keep up the innocent, misunderstood boy scout image that they have created for him. He’s a 19 year old kid who struck out a few times with the spotlight on him. He snapped at a reporter. No big deal. He likely was never as bad a guy as he was made out to be and he’s likely not the innocent cherub that Boras and crew are trying to make him out to be today. Move on.

Agree, except for this perception that he’s being made out to be an “innocent cherub.” No one who has been paying attention to him since he became a pro (as we Nats fans have) would say that. Harper’s occasional blow-ups have been reported by the Washington media, and Davey Johnson is on record that the kid needs to tone down his act a little. As for any spin Boras wants to provide, consider the source.

I agree that getting upset at a question like that, and giving a snarky one liner is common, and as such, not a big deal. But the fact is he does common stuff all the time and gets ridiculous attention for it. If running from 1st to 3rd makes him Willie Mays (when I was boy, we called that “doing your job”), then guess what? Being snippy is going to make him Oil Can Boyd.

ESPN’s golden boy after LeBron, the Yankees, and the Lakers is Bryce Harper. I’m tired of hearing about him. He wasn’t even as brilliant as he was expected to be this year, setting up a nice sophomore slump next season.

The reporter asked a legitimate question…”Do you think you are a little overanxious first postseason and everything” Harper took offense obviously and asked back “Do I look overanxious” He was wrong to do that. He should have said “No, I don’t think so.” It’s a perfectly legitimate question.

Where the reporter was wrong was when he responded to Harper’s cocky answer with “Yes, I do”. Once the reporter answers with that, then Harper has to respond with “Maybe you should be the hitting coach”

Overall, both guys were wrong, but Harper just got done getting his ass kicked in a game so I can’t say I blame him for being annoyed. And the reporter, who asked a legitimate question, shouldn’t get his panties in a bunch when he doesn’t get the answer he was looking for.

In the 1921 and 1922 World Series between NYY and NYG, John McGraw arguably the greatest skipper of them all..warned his NYG pitching staff,”If I see ANY of you throw that big baboon (Babe Ruth) a fastball…that fastball will cost you 50 dollars!” Ruth was thrown junk and pitched away both series and was pretty much reduced to Ichiro. Young Harper needs to learn from that, keep his hands back and go the other way. He has enough power to get it out of Yellowstone the other way. Matheny will give young Harper nothing hard in..No. 34 must adjust. That being said the Nats are dead. They’re like a car in hydraulic press in a junk yard…pressure is absolutely crushing them.

Just a general question.
Does anyone else find it annoying when people refer to the Pitching Mound or “hill” as the ”bump?”
I mean…when did the “pitching mound,” “mound,” or just plain “hill” no longer suffice?

Qualification: I like Bryce Harper. I think Bryce Harper is a damn fine baseball player.
I get annoyed when anyone says it.

Everyone knows that this guy is a punk, and like Craig mentioned, his handlers have done a nice job of keeping him in line so far, but just like Rudolph’s parents couldn’t hide his shiny red nose for long, it’s only a matter of time before the real Bryce Harper shines through. Not only is Mike Trout a better player, but he’s also a better guy.